1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a detector for fishing, and more particularly, to a fishing detector which detects the depth of water, the temperature of water, the distribution of fishes, and/or the length of fishes at a fishing spot, to thereby immediately indicate the detection results in various kinds of methods or display the detection result on a portable mobile communications terminal in order to represent a density of waveform corresponding to the detection results.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally known detectors for detecting fishes, which are called sonar, are fishing-vessel dedicated devices. The detectors are being widely used as detection devices which detect the depth of water and the moving range of fish in the deep sea to thereby enable fishers to catch the fishes by means of a fishing net etc.
However, the detector is too expensive to use it for fishing. It is also unfit to use the detector for leisure in view of its cost and place where it is used.
Simple detectors for fishing which have been designed to solve the above-described conventional limitations have been known.
First, a detector which is known as a water depth measuring device for fishing which is called an echo-sounding device will be described below.
The water depth measuring device for fishing is floated on water in the form of a floater on which a sinker is hung to thereby measure the depth of water. However, it is complicated and inconvenient to use a string for drawing out a sinker while maintaining a stabilized buoyancy between a sinker and a floater. Further, the depth of water is measurable but the water temperature or the distribution range of the fishes cannot be measured.
Moreover, a device for converting distribution of underwater fishes into an image signal using ultrasonic waves utilizing piezoelectric ceramics for underwater image acquisition has been commercialized. However, such an underwater image acquisition device is relatively big in volume and expansive in price. Thus, the underwater image acquisition device is being restrictively used only for the underwater photography, and has not been reasonable to be used as a leisure fishing device.
Examples of underwater sound detectors for locating fishes are found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,463,597, 5,495,689, 5,546,695, 5,887,376 and 6,122,852 for fishers who do fishing in the river embankment or the seashore. These are respectively formed of a quill or float in which an underwater sound navigator is generally mounted, and which is connected to a fishing rod via a transmission line. The transmission line may be lengthily extended to a display screen connected to a fisher from the float. Accordingly, the fisher can identify the status of underwater fishes and the state of the underwater bottom which have been received and transmitted from the float having the underwater sound detector while he or she stays on the river embankment and or seashore. It has been known that the float is hung on a fish hook to which a feed is attached, or is connected to a fishing rope itself. There have been known a variety of kinds of the floats like the above-referenced U.S. patents. However, these are not also used as a simplified commercialized fishes locating device for leisure.
One of the key issue points of the detectors which are respectively attached on a fishing rod is caused by the length of a cable such as a fishing rope in which the distance throwing the fishing rope from the fishing rod is short. The other problems include rapid power consumption, errors of a display device, intermittently ceased echo signals, and interference phenomena due to similar detectors which are being used in the same place by the other fishers. Moreover, the detectors and the fishing ropes lengthily overhang between the float and the river embankment or seashore, to thus cause a complexity in the fishing site. Further, the fishing rope may happen to be tangled with the transmission line for the sound detector, during a reeling. Although a reeling is not performed, the fishing rope may be easily tangled with the transmission line for the sound detector when the fishing rope becomes tight or loose during fishing. Further, since the underwater sound detector should consistently move between the screen and the float, the above-described problems may frequently occur.
In order to improve the problems of such existing U.S. patents, one recently issued U.S. Pat. No. 6,771,562 provides a portable fish finder that consumes minimal power, that displays more reliable underwater states, and which can avoid interference with another portable fish finders in close proximity. Moreover, the fish finding method is usable in conjunction with sport fishing wherein a fisherman grips a fishing rod while viewing sonar returns in his fishing area that are displayed on a screen detachably secured to his wrist or to his fishing rod. Further, the fish finding system includes a buoyant station having a sonar to electric signal transducer for converting the sonar into an electric signal, a sonar transmitter, a sonar receiver, and a radio transmitter all controlled by a microprocessor included in a buoy which includes a fish finding detector. The microprocessor in the buoyant station generates sync pulses and transmits the converted sonar echo signals and sync signals to the shore station by a predetermined program, using a signal display which is controlled by a satellite or a radio receiver of the shore station and the microprocessor of the shore station.
As an example, the fish finding method of the U.S. Pat. No. 6,771,562 enables fishers to perform a fishing according to the following steps:                generating a stream of digital electric sync pulses;        transmitting sonar pulses from a buoyant station in response to sync pulses;        detecting sonar echoes at the buoyant station and generating electric echo signals in response thereto distinguishable from the sync pulses;        transmitting the electric echo signals to a radio receiver secured to the wrist of the fisherman; and        displaying echo signals which follow a sync pulse generated in real time on a screen detachably secured to the wrist of the fisherman.        
Here, the digital electric sync pulses are generated of a preselected waveform, and wherein the electric echo signals are generated in waveform different from that of the preselected sync pulses waveform.
As another example, the fish finding method of the U.S. Pat. No. 6,771,562 enables fishers to perform a fishing according to the following steps:                generating a stream of digital electric sync pulses of a preselected waveform;        transmitting sonar pulses from a buoyant station in response to sync pulses;        detecting sonar echoes at the buoyant station and generating electric echo signals in response thereto of waveform different from the preselected sync pulse waveform; and        displaying echo signals which follow a sync pulse generated in real time on a screen secured to the fishing rod.        
Here, the sync pulses are generated of a preselected pulse length, and wherein the electric echo signals are generated with pulse lengths less than that of the sync pulses.
As still another example, the fish finding system of the U.S. Pat. No. 6,771,562 enables fishers to perform a fishing including a buoyant station having a sonar transmitter, a sonar receiver a sonar to electric signal transducer and a radio transmitter all controlled by a microprocessor programmed to generate sync pulses and to transmit both the sync pulses and transduced sonar echo returns to a shore station having a radio receiver and signal display controlled by a shore station microprocessor that bears means for releasibly securing the shore station to an arm of a fisherman and wherein the shore station microprocessor is programmed to display only echo signals received after a sync pulse.
As yet another example, the fish finding system of the U.S. Pat. No. 6,771,562 enables fishers to perform a fishing including a buoyant station having a sonar transmitter, a sonar receiver, a sonar to electric signal transducer and a radio transmitter all controlled by a microprocessor programmed to generate sync pulses and to transmit both the sync pulses and transduced sonar echo returns to the shore station; a shore station having a radio receiver and signal display controlled by a shore station microprocessor programmed to display only echo signals received after a sync pulse that is mounted in a housing that bears means for releasibly securing the shore station to a fishing rod.
However, the above-described fishing detector which are respectively disclosed in the U.S. patents, has caused the following defects in a wireless transmission and reception system between an underwater sonar detector and a wireless receiver secured in a wrist.
That is, when considering various kinds of applications of a personal portable communications terminal such as audio reception, MP3 playing, digital multimedia broadcasting (DMB) reception, and navigation for personal portable communications service, a separate wrist-secured type receiver may cause a burden which has to prepare for a separate dedicate receiver in addition to the already-available personal portable communications terminal. Accordingly, there is a need to use the already-available portable mobile telephone as a wireless receiver which can receive and display the detection results of the fishing detector.
In the meantime, a known fish-shoal detector for fishing which is known to a wireless sound navigator disclosed in Japanese laid-open patent publication 2002-286841 embraces the following similar problems.
That is, in the fish-shoal detector disclosed in Japanese laid-open patent publication 2002-286841, a line is connected to a fishing rod end which is put on the ground. A detection function is included in a float connected to the line. The float provides a sonic generator on the bottom in order to generate a sound wave. The sound wave is reflected from the bottom of the sea floor or the underwater fish. In addition, the reflected sound wave is measured through a receiver. The reflected sound wave information is transmitted into a waveform. The waveform is analyzed through the receiver. The receiver calculates information of depth of water to then be indicated on a display.
This also includes the receiver which receives the sound wave and the waveform from the float to confirm various detection information. As a result, this may also include the defectives that a new telecommunications device should be provided as the receiver as well as a unit cost problem.
As described above, a variety of kinds of the underwater fishing detectors wirelessly transmit various states of distribution of fishes and the neighboring states into many kinds of signal waveform or image signals and receive and indicate them are known in various forms. However, these underwater fishing detectors are not applied to a personal communications terminal including a mobile telephone.
At present, many persons are familiar with a personal communications terminal which downloads a predetermined program and searches for a destination location during moving. Moreover, many persons receive many frequency bands of signals and listen to the music or receive/reproduce music files which are downloaded for themselves through a mobile telephone or a personal digital assistant (PDA). Many persons can receive and listen to various kinds of ground or satellite broadcasting signals like TV broadcasting signals through a mobile phone. Thus, it is difficult or unreasonable to prepare for devices corresponding to all kinds of such wireless transmit/receive devices.
As is well known, short-distance wireless mobile communications devices which are carried by hand or in bag are applied to the mobile phones, to thereby form a variety of kinds of wireless transmission-reception devices such as bluetooth, Zigbee, and RF equipment through which music can be listened to or phone callings can be made. As a result, various transmit and reception display devices need not be carried separately, but need to be switched through only a representative device by simple manipulation.
As described above, instead of a conventional high price and difficult-to-carry scale fish-shoal detector, as well as a sonar device such as a conventional dedicated fish catch device, there is a need to provide an inexpensive simple fishing detector for leisure which can measure the depth of water and/or the water temperature in a simple range. Accordingly, there is a need to provide an indicator which indicates the detection result as a degree of radiation of light emitting diodes or as a numerical display. Otherwise, there is a need to provide a detector integrated with a display. Further, there is a need to provide a display method which enables a personal portable communications terminal such as a mobile phone which most fishers carry, to display detection results.